Search - Rosemary Clooney :: Girl Singer

Classic, swinging fun

Sanpete | in Utah | 05/19/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rosemary Clooney may be better known by most people for her movie and TV roles than for her long and outstanding singing career. It's hard to top her role in 1954's White Christmas, made when she was only 25, and being an aunt to George Clooney she got an Emmy-nominated guest role on ER forty years later. But before White Christmas she was already a successful singer, with her first recording for Columbia Records in 1946, at age 18. After TV she continued singing until her death in 2002.



Clooney has a fine, versatile voice that is always in service of the song rather than vice versa. She has perfect pitch for a lyric. Like her good friend Bing Crosby, she likes to play with rhythm, occasionally lagging the beat a bit to good swinging effect.



This CD collects cuts from Clooney's RCA albums from 1958 to 1961. It's a blast, literally and figuratively, partly because of the trademark RCA Living Stereo recordings. RCA was making some of the best stereo recordings ever made at this time. Everything is bright and clear, with a balance between vocals and instruments that's fairly realistic, meaning that the brass on some cuts is exceptionally crisp and up front, possibly too much for some tastes.



There is quite a variety of songs. There are the expected pop ballads, show tunes and humorous songs with Nelson Riddle, Billy May and Bob Thompson orchestrations, including three duets with Bing Crosby. But there's also the unexpected country with Floyd Cramer, Western/cowboy songs, and Latin pop with Perez Prado. I don't think she makes a very authentic cowboy, but it's all great fun.



If you're any kind of fan of Rosemary Clooney's singing, you're bound to enjoy this. If you've been lucky enough to come across this CD despite not knowing much about Clooney, think Sinatra from the same period for the general mood, and you're not likely to be disappointed."